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Game Thread CFP Semifinal: Ohio State vs. Clemson, Sat 12/31 @ 7p ET, ESPN

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Jaxbuck said:
One area to keep an eye on as it's a strength against not-so-strength kind of thing

OSU has had trouble getting there with the pass rush, Clemson has a very good OL who's strength is pass pro on standard pass downs

I do not like the idea of Watson having time to throw
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Then on the opposite side, it is a possible concern with their dline against our oline.
 
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redguard117 said:
I want to agree, but did you watch the NC last year? When Watson is on, he's the best player in CFB. Alabama was the most dominant defense in the country last year and even they couldn't slow him down. It took literally one of the best disguised and executed onside kicks I've seen, and a whole lot of luck, for them to come out on top.

That said, Watson has not played up to that level this year. Hopefully, that trend continues. Unfortunately, the playoffs tend to bring out the best in players. Again, hopefully they do the same for JT.

I think this game is a toss up. It really depends on which QB shows up for each team. If both DeShaun and JT play at their best, it will be a classic. If one or the other is off (and they have both been highly streaky this year), then it could be a blowout.

Personally, I do think Clemson has the advantage due to the fact that they simply have much more experienced talent, and because their DL matches up very favorably against our very young OL.

That all said - never count out Urban. If we beat Clemson, we match up well against Alabama and our OL will have proven itself under the crucible of fire.
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Quite frankly, I'd love to see this team beat Clemson (and I do think we have a good chance in that game). Just making it to the NC for this young team would be a dream come true and something none of us expected. That being said, I don't have a ton of confidence in this team vs. Bama. My heart tells me we can absolutely get there and win it all. But, we all know Bama will be out for revenge & blood after the embarrassment just 2 years ago. I hope and pray we make it that far.

Going back to Clemson, I think Urban absolutely knows our strengths AND what the players need to work on. I sure as hell hope JT has been working on his throwing game in the extra week he's had.

When Meyer spoke to the press on Sunday, he indicated they were already working on game plans. Whereas, Dabo looked like he slept on a park bench.
 
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Nigel Tufnel said:
Then on the opposite side, its is a possible concern with their dline against our oline.
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yep, big time. A quick look at advanced metrics for both teams lines;

OSU OL is ranked #1 overall by FO but 78th overall in adjusted sack rate, 107th on standard down sack rate and 77th on passing down sack rate. Not telling us anything we haven't seen with our own eyes but stark none the less.

Clemson DL is ranked 20th overall but 4th in adjusted sack rate, 15th in standard down sack rate and 7th in passing down sack rate.

Their weakness (as it were) is against the power run where they are 58th in power success rate whereas OSU OL is #1 in power success rate.

I'm not a coach or anything but I think it may behoove OSU to run the ball and stay out of obvious passing downs.
 
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UrbanBuckeye said:
Is Sprinkle out for the season or is there any chance at all he'd make it into the game?

Also, and I'm just spitballing... Putting Burrow in for some deep balls may throw them off...Or terrible idea?
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We're going to live or die with JT, unless he gets injured. He's won a helluva lot of games and the CFP isn't a spot to get Burrow some experience.

Remember this about a back up QB: just because we haven't seen him fail doesn't mean he'll succeed. Cardale wasn't the norm, and he only played because JT was injured.
 
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Steve19 said:
...I think this game comes down to three issues:

The passing game. Slowing down Clemson and getting at least one pick. Barrett hitting at least two passes each half greater than thirty five yards down field, to keep Clemson from crowding the LOS...
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That sounds like a lot, particularly if you're talking about completions where the catch is made more than 35 yards downfield, as opposed to shorter catches that go for over 35 yards with YAC.
 
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Steve19 said:
Something I found interesting in the NCAA stats is that Ohio State averages 34 minutes a game with the ball. I'm inclined to discount the equivalent NCAA rankings on defense because of the SOS issue.

Massey computer ratings have the Clemson SOS ranking at #32 and Ohio State at #5. He ranks Clemson at #6 and #21 on offense and defense, respectively. Ohio State at #12 and #8. He's right about 80% of the time and calls this as a 68% Ohio State win.

I think this game comes down to three issues:

The passing game. Slowing down Clemson and getting at least one pick. Barrett hitting at least two passes each half greater than thirty five yards down field, to keep Clemson from crowding the LOS.

The running game. Ohio State establishing the running game, controlling the clock, and keeping Clemson's offense on the sideline.

Special teams play. Winning the field position game every bit as convincingly as TSUN did against Ohio State this year.
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You forgot tempo, speed, swagger and physicality

Don't quit your day job, you'd never cut it as a football analyst
 
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ShowMeBuck said:
I'll make one prediction. The difference between how the Buckeyes look in this game will be a bigger step forward compared to how the Tigers will look. The Buckeyes improve more during bowl practice.
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Great point. Typically the bowl practices are when your younger guys start stepping up and making big improvements. Considering those young guys are our starters for the most part, you could see significant improvement. I am particularly hoping to see it from Prince and to a lesser extent Jordan on the OL.
 
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Buckeyeskickbuttocks said:
I love how the only player on the field demonstrating any real chance of being able to catch Zeke is Jalin Marshall.
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Complete overpursuit. Landon Collins was also out of the game at this point due to trying to put a big hit on Cardale, who was a large man. It's interesting watching this game how much more mentally ready OSU was. They had athletes that were just as good as bama, and OSU was far better mentally.

Any chance this game is a shootout? What type of score are you guys predicting? I keep getting hung up on how Clemson looked last year, but it's clear something is different about them.
 
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